As John Mullins, supported by his buddy Hawk,
you take orders of the government which the "Shop" gives. It concerns
thusly the strongarm mercenary dirty work which may not be done officially
by the government. The one-man killer representation in SOF loosely recalls
Kingpin's efforts. Directly in the first level in the city underground,
civilians (still in the intro sequence) and policemen have their heads
blown away. After you intervene, also numerous opponents join the list
of the dead ones. The opponents limp with a leg shot or hold their shoulder
in pain depending on where you shoot them. Also friendly forces can be
shot. In addition, this happens sometimes in the eagerness of combat,
and will lie on the ground waiting to be tended to. The story is recounted
in game film sequences and whisks the player to diverse scenes. From the
underground, it goes into former Yugoslavia where despite the efforts
of the UN, peace is little to be seen. Merrily whistles shells around
the player. Subsequently, it goes into the eternal ice of a Russian island,
later also into the mideast (Iraq) and the far east (to Japan). The missions
are quite fun and but unfortunately the levels are very linear. More than
one way to the goal would not have compellingly harmed the game. The degrees
of difficulty permit you to master each section of the game, which nowadays
a long gameplay amount is not always the case. Altogether it's a very
good shooter, but apart from the hit zones and associated opponent reactions
it does not offer anything else new.
Later the "Gold" version appeared with 18 new Deathmatch maps and "Platinum Edition" containing
5 new multiplayer modes, a strategy guide and other extras for fans.